Cutaneous tuberculosis with a difference: Documenting transfollicular elimination of granulomas

Abstract

A patient presented with a an asymptomatic brown to erythematous, scaly indurated solitary plaque on his elbow. The lesion was diagnosed as lupus vulgaris on the basis of clinical features and biopsy findings. The histopathology further revealed a granuloma within the follicular infundibulum, which was possibly being expelled out. The phenomenon of transepidermal elimination has been described previously in many conditions, including cutaneous tuberculosis; however, transfollicular elimination of the granuloma has not been reported. We report this unusual phenomenon as a possible mode of elimination of the granuloma.

Keywords

• Cutaneous tuberculosis
• granuloma
• lupus vulgaris
• transfollicular elimination